TEACHER:
CLASS: 5th Grade
DATE: November 2-3
M T W TH F
FRAME THE LESSON
Articles of Confederation
Resources/Materials
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
3A:identify the issues that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution, including the weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation
Pearson’s 5th Grade
Building Our Nation
TE
8B:explain the geographic factors that influence patterns of settlement and the distribution of population in the United
States, past and present
(p. 250-255)
19A: explain the contributions of the Founding Fathers to the development of the national government
Objective/Key Understanding:





Understand how the American government was structured under the Articles of Confederation and describe the
weaknesses of the structure.
Summarize how the lack of a national currency and large war debts led to inflation and economic troubles for the
new nation.
Understand how Shays’ Rebellion led to increased calls for a stronger national government.
Summarize the principles and effects of the Northwest Ordinance.
Explain why the Constitutional Convention was called and what it was intended to do.
Closing Product/ Question/ Informal
Assessment:
Vocabulary
Articles of Confederation
Inflation
Legislative
Executive
Ratify
Ordinance
Judicial

Got it Questions 1-6 (p. 250-255)
Critical Writing Prompt:

At the town museum, you read a letter from a traveler writing home in 1781. She describes the trouble she is having with paper money under
the Articles of Confederation. Explain what the letter might say.
Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions
The New Government (p.250-251)
 How and why was the United States government created? (The new government was created through the Articles of Confederation: it was created because the colonists
declared independence from the British government, so they needed a new government.
 What does outlined mean in the first sentence? (“Summarized” or “defined”)
 What are some differences between the government laid out in the Articles of Confederation and our government today? (Today we have a judicial branch that decides
what laws mean and an executive branch headed by a leader who carries out the laws; the government under the Articles had neither.)
 What was the purpose of the legislative branch under the Articles of Confederation? ( to pass laws)
 What were weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? (The states had more power than the central government; representatives to the national government had
limited power; Congress could not pass laws to collect taxes from states.)
A Weak National Government (p.252-253)
 Based on the heading, what is the main idea of this section of the text? (The United States faced several problems after the American Revolution because of its weak
government.)
 How did the lack of money affect the new government? (It could not pay its soldiers or repay the money it owed other nations.)
 Why was inflation a serious problem for the new nation? (Inflation made continentals almost worthless. Prices were higher, and people couldn’t buy as many goods
with their money.)
 What key problems did the first United States government face? (In addition to economic problems, it had no national army and no way of enforcing trade laws that
would improve and control business.)
 Why do you think some countries didn’t want to do business with the new nation? (They were not sure that the money they received for goods would have value.)
A Tax Revolt (p.253)
 What was Shay’s Rebellion? (It was an armed uprising by farmers and soldiers to close the courts that imprisoned farmers for not pay their debts.)
 What emotions does the visual of Daniel Shays demonstrate? What is the artist’s purpose in the painting? (It demonstrates anger and fear by showing gunfire,
destruction, and soldiers running away. The artist wanted to show the destruction caused by the rebellion.)
 What effect did Shay’s Rebellion have on the nationalists? (It strengthened their desire for a stronger national government.)
 How did Shay’s Rebellion contribute to the decision by the nation’s leaders to revise the Articles of Confederation? (The government did not want citizens taking the
law into their own hands. They wanted to have a stronger and more stable government to protect the people).
 What is one question you have about Shay’s Rebellion? (Possible answer: What happened to Daniel Shays?)
New Lands for New States (p.254-255)
 What is the difference between the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787? (Land Ordinance of 1785 explained how land would be divided into
towns and provided for public schools. The Norwest Ordinance described how lands could become states.)
 What is the purpose of the smaller map inset in a circle? (to show where the Northwest Territory was located in relation to the rest of the United States)
 Why do you think new states were required to have a population of at least 60,000 free, adult males? (this would assure that there were enough people to take care of
the land, take part in a government, and have a stable economy)
 Why might people who lived in the Northwest Territory have wanted their part of the territory to become a state? (so that the citizens in the territories would have the
same rights as those in the original thirteen colonies)
 What was the impact and significance of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787? (It helped stop the spread of slavery north of the Ohio River, guaranteed religious freedom
and said the United States would not take American Indian’s land without permission.)
 Based on what you learned in this lesson, what kind of changes do you think representatives will make to the Articles of Confederation? (The changes will make the
central government stronger.)
 Did the government under the Articles of Confederation meet its purposes successfully? Why or why not? (No, because the government was weak and so was the
economy set up under the government.)

Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Introduce the Key Idea & Vocabulary (p. 250)
 Read to the class the Key Idea: “I will know how the government was organized under the Articles of Confederation.” Tell students in this lesson they will
be learning about this concept and what it means to American History.
 Go online to access the Lesson Introduction and discuss the Big Question and lesson objective (p. 250).
 Students are to complete the Using the Words to Know Worksheet before reading the lesson.
Divide the class into groups. Each group is to read a section and be prepared to discuss and share findings with the class.
 The New Government (p.250-251)
 A Weak National Government (p.252-253)
 A Tax Revolt (p.253)
 New Lands for New States (p.254-255)
Students are to read assigned sections and be prepared to share findings with class.
~ Tell students they will know how the government was organized under the Articles of Confederation.”
The New Government (p.250-251)
 The plan that took shape was outlined in a document called the Articles of Confederation. A confederation is a union or partnership between states. Under
the Articles the only branch of the national government was Congress.
A Weak National Government (p.252-253)
 Without the power to collect taxes, the nation lacked money. The American Revolution had left it in debt. The country could neither pay its own soldiers, nor
repay the nations from which it had borrowed money for the war.
A Tax Revolt (p.253)
 Though the national government could not collect taxes, the states could. In Massachusetts, the state decided to raise taxes that people paid on the property
they owned. Desperate farmer protested. Those who could not pay were sent to prison. Some even lost their lands.
New Lands for New States (p.254-255)
 One decision Congress faced was about the young nation’s western lands. The Treaty of Paris, signed after the end of war, gave the United States land
stretching west from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River. The land north of the Ohio River was called the Northwest Territory.
Questions from the Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions are to be used here.
(Please see this information above).
Students will demonstrate mastery by completing the Got It Questions:
 Summarize the government under the Articles of Confederation.
 Identify and circle thee two years on the graph that show the period of greatest increase in the cost of a bushel of potatoes. Write the difference in price in
the space below.
 Write the abbreviations for the current states that grew out of the Northwest territory in the spaces on the map. Explain why you think settlers might want to
move to the Northwest Territory.
 Identify the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
 At the town museum, you read a letter from a traveler writing home in 1781. She describes the trouble she is having with paper money under the Articles of
Confederation. Explain what the letter might say.
 Identify the two geographic barriers that formed the boundaries of the Northwest Territory.
TEACHER:
CLASS: 5th Grade
DATE: November 4
M T W TH F
FRAME THE LESSON
Search for Information on the Internet
Resources/Materials:
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
24A: differentiate between, locate, and use valid primary and secondary sources such as computer software; interviews;
biographies; oral, print, and visual material; documents; and artifacts to acquire information about the United States
Pearson’s 5th Grade
Building Our Nation
TE
(p. 256-257)
24C: organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and
maps
Objective/Key Understanding:


Use a search engine to find
information on the Internet.
Distinguish between reliable and
unreliable information on the Internet
Closing Product/ Question/ Informal
Assessment:

Apply the Skill Activity (p. 257)
Rigor & Relevance: (Real World
Connection)

Preview the Sill (p. 256)
Show students a primary source such as a letter or newspaper article. Tell students that the writers of these
sources had direct information about an event, place, or time because they were there.
 How do primary sources help us understand history?
Practice the Skill (p. 256)
Turn to the skill pages in the Worktext. Have students read the introductory text and examine the primary
source that follows.
 What clues did you use to identify the text as a primary source?
Apply the Skill (p. 227)
Direct students’ attention to the Try it! Section. Remind them that when they read primary source, they should
pay attention to what the witness explains about an event that might not be possible to reveal in a secondary
source. Have students answer question 1-4 independently and then compare their answers in small groups.
Remind students: As they read the newspaper article to think about what a primary source offers them that they
might not get from a secondary source.
 Look at the images in the newspaper article. Each black shape stands for a coffin, or narrow box for
burying a dead body. Each coffin has initials on it. What do you think these stand for? Explain why
the coffin images are a primary source.
 As you read the text in the newspaper, underline the words used to describe the mood, or feeling, of the
day. How might this eyewitness account of the funeral be different from a secondary source of the
same event?
 How might a secondary source written years after the funeral be useful?
 Look at the illustration of the colonists protesting the Townshend Acts on page 207. Explain whether it
is a primary or a secondary source.
Engage
Preview the Skill (p.256)
Display a list of site with information about the Articles of Confederation. Explain that these sites contain information about the topic.
 How can these sites be used to prepare a research report about the Articles of Confederation?
Explore
Searching for Information on the Internet (p. 256)
One of the greatest things about the Internet is that it makes so much information available. The Internet connects you to libraries, databases, articles and much more.
You can search for both primary and secondary sources.
To locate information on the Internet, you often use a search engine, which is a program that searches databases. Search engines let you type in a word or phrase. Then
they present a list of sites that contain the word or phrase or information related to the word or phrase.
Explain
Poll the class for a few topics. Ask for key words. Conduct a few searches as a demonstration for students.
Practice the Skill (p. 256)
Turn to the skill lesson in the Worktext. Have students read the introductory text and examine the internet screen shot below it.
 What is one way to tell that a Web site is reliable?
 What types of Web sites might show bias and be unreliable?
Review the process for conducting searches on the Internet with key words or phrases. Instruction is then differentiated to meet the varied needs of students as follows:
Elaborate
Special Needs:
 Use a computer to model using the Internet to research a topic.
Extra Support:
 Have students brainstorm a list of topics they would like to learn more about. Work with them to come up with words or phrases they can use in a search
engine for a few topics on their list. Select one topic and enter the search terms into a search engine. For each site that comes up, discuss how they assess the
reliability of that site.
On-Level:
 Have pairs brainstorm a list of topics, select three, and identify search terms. Then have them ask to use these terms to access reliable and unreliable sites and
print out excerpts of pages from both sites. Have pairs share their pages with another pair to have them identify and discuss which pages are reliable and which
are unreliable.
Challenge/Gifted:
 Have pairs of students write part of a written report that a student might have written using research from unreliable internet sources. Have them share their
writing with classmates. Invite the group to identify the excerpts from the report that seem unreliable. Discuss how poor Internet research affected the validity
of the report.
After students learn about cause and effect, use the ELPS support note on page 250b to help English Language Learners.
Beginning
 Read the first paragraph aloud with students. Have them locate the words valid and reliable. Have students infer their meanings from context. Point out that
these words can form their opposites by adding the prefix in- or un-. Point out other similar words, such as known and unknown, possible and impossible, and
dependent and independent.
Intermediate
 Follow the same procedure as with Beginning students, but have students take it further by suggesting other words that form their opposites by adding
prefixes. You might introduce the prefixes dis- and mis- as well.
Advanced
 Introduce the concept of valid and invalid Web sites and reliable and unreliable Web sites. Have students suggest some rules to follow to help determine if a
Web site is valid and reliable. Ask: What clues can help you recognize that a site is unreliable or invalid?
Advanced High
 Introduce the concepts of valid and invalid Web sites and reliable and unreliable Web sites. Explain that suffixes on a Web site address also give clues to a
site’s reliability. Have students search for sites with the suffixes .gov and .edu and explain why these are good clues to a site’s validity.
Try It (p. 257)
Direct students’ attention to the Try it! Section. Have students work in groups to complete the Apply activity. Alternatively, you may wish to assign the Apply activity
as homework. Remind students that not all internet searches contain valid information.
Evaluate




Circle one site that you know is probably from a reliable source.
Why is this site probably valid?
Which site is probably the least valid, and why?
Suppose that during you Internet research you learn that one of the groups that lived in the Northwest Territory were the Shawnee people. If you wanted to
find out more about how the Shawnee people of Ohio were affected by the Northwest Ordinance, what would you type into a search engine?
TEACHER:
CLASS: 5th Grade
DATE: November 5-6
M T W TH F
FRAME THE LESSON
Creating the Constitution
Resources/Materials
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
3A:identify the issues that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution, including the weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation
Pearson’s 5th Grade
Building Our Nation
TE
(p. 258-265)
3B: identify the contributions of individuals, including James Madison, and others such as George Mason, Charles
Pinckney, and Roger Sherman who helped create the U.S. Constitution
Closing Product/
Question/ Informal
Assessment:
15C: explain the reasons for the creation of the Bill of Rights and its importance
16A: identify and explain the basic functions of the three branches of government
16B: identify the reasons for and describe the system of checks and balances outlined in the U.S. Constitution
Got it Questions 1-9
(p. 258-265)
16C: distinguish between national and state governments and compare their responsibilities in the U.S. federal system
17D: describe the origins and significance of national celebrations such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day,
Constitution Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day
19A: explain the contributions of the Founding Fathers to the development of the national government
Objective/Key Understanding:
Introduce Vocabulary Activity (p. 258)
 Summarize the reason a convention to modify the Articles of Confederation was needed.
Delegate
Constitution
 Identify the leaders of the Constitutional Conventions and their views.
Compromise
 Summarize the struggles and compromises involved in writing the U.S. Constitution.
Preamble
6A  Compare and contrast the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan.
Separation of powers
 Summarize how the Constitution describes good government.
apply
geographic
tools,
including
grid
systems,
legends,
symbols,
scales,
and
compass
roses,
to
construct
and
interpret
maps and balances
Checks
 Explain how the Constitution limits the power of government through a system of checks and balances.
Veto
 Explain the powers that belong to the federal government and to the states under the Constitution.
21A
Critical Writing/Real World Connection:
identify significant examples of art, music, and literature from various periods in U.S. history such as the painting American Progress,
The museum has a newspaper article from Philadelphia dated May 1787, it tells about the arrival of delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Identify who is
"Yankee Doodle," and "Paul Revere's Ride";
coming to town, and describe them
(P.265)
Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions
The Constitutional Convention (p. 258-259)
 Summarize the position of the leaders discussed in this section.
 Why do you think the opinions of the Founding Fathers were taken very seriously by the other state representatives at the Constitutional Convention?
 How and why was the United States government created at the Constitutional Convention?
Ideas for Debate (p. 260)
 Do you think the Virginia Plan favored big states or small states? Why?
 Why would William Paterson propose a different plan from Edmund Randolph?
 What did the Virginia and New Jersey Plans have in common?
 Today, each state has two senators and a different number of representatives, depending on the state’s population. How does this reflect the Virginia and
New Jersey Plans?
The Great Compromise (p. 261)
 What was the Great Compromise?
 Are both sides probably happy or unhappy when a compromise is reached?
 What did the Southern states give up in the Three-fifths Compromise?
 How did the Three-Fifths Compromise solve a difficult problem at the convention?
 How do you think enslaved people felt about the Three-Fifths Compromise? (
A New Plan for Government (p. 262)
 In what ways are the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution similar and different?
 What was the purpose of the separation of powers?
 Why did the authors of the Constitution set up a system of checks and balances
 What is the meaning of check in checks and balances?
 What was the significance of the Constitution-including its key political concepts, the origins of these concepts, and their role in American democracy?
Limiting Government (p. 263)
 How is the President under the Constitution different for a king?
 What question might you have about the President’s use of the veto?
 In which branch are the courts?
 Do the different branches of the American government still get into disagreements over their powers today?
 How do you know that the checks and balances system was an effective idea for the American government?

Powers of Government (p. 264-265)
 Why did delegates worry about the President becoming too powerful?
 Why did the Constitution establish a federal system of government?
 What does authority mean?
 Why do both the state and federal governments have the power to pass tax laws?
 What do you think will happen to the new Constitution since some delegates believed there were still problems with it?
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Introduce the Key Idea & Vocabulary (p.258)

Read to the class the Key Idea: “I will know how the Constitution was created and the plan for government the Constitution describes.” Tell students in this lesson they will be
learning about this quote and what it means to American History.

Go online to access the Lesson Introduction and discuss the Big Question and lesson objective (p. 258).
Students are to complete the Using the Words to Know Worksheet before reading the lesson. Tell students they know how Great Britain became the greatest colonial power in North
America.
Divide the class into groups. Each group is to read a section and be prepared to discuss and share findings with the class. Remind students they will know how the Constitution was
created and the plan for government the Constitution describes.

The Constitutional Convention (p. 258-259)

Ideas for Debate (p. 260)

The Great Compromise (p. 261)

A New Plan for Government (p. 262)

Limiting Government (p. 263)

Powers of Government (p. 264-265)
Students are to read assigned sections and be prepared to share findings with class.
Remind students they will know how the Constitution was created and the plan for government the Constitution describes.
The Constitutional Convention (p. 258-259)

The meeting, known as the Constitutional Convention, included people who had steered the young nation toward independence. Benjamin Franklin was 81 by that time, the
oldest person to take part. He suffered from poor health but was present for most of the convention. Franklin supported a stronger national government.
Ideas for Debate (p. 260)

The Constitutional Convention began on May 25, 1787. Its original goal was to improve the Articles of Confederation, but some delegates clearly had other plans.
The Great Compromise (p. 261)

The delegates could not agree on a new plan for government. Roger Sherman, from Connecticut, was one of the delegates who contributed a new idea. He proposed that
Congress be made up of two parts, or houses. In one house, the Senate, each state would have the same number of representatives. In the other, the House of Representatives,
the number of representatives from each state would be in proportion to the state’s population. Thus, each state would have equal power in the House of Representatives.
A New Plan for Government (p. 262)

Delegates worked through the summer of 1787, writing the new plan for government. The Preamble, or introduction, expressed the main goals of the new constitution.
Limiting Government (p. 263)

The President can limit the power of Congress with a veto, or a refusal to sign a law. However, if two thirds of Congress wants a law, Congress can reject the veto. This is
Congress’s check on the power of the President.
Powers of Government (p. 264-265)

As the delegates debated the Constitution, they asked questions. Would the new government take away all the power of the states? For example, delegate Charles Pinckney of
South Carolina contributed a passage t the Constitution stating that leaders are not required to follow a specific religion. But some states had a religious requirement from
which they had just freed themselves?
Questions from the Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions are to be used here.
(Please see this information above).
Students will demonstrate mastery by completing the Got It Questions:

Analyze and read the statements from each Patriot. Write C next to the quote if the person supported a strong central government and new constitution or A if the person
supported the Articles of Confederation. (p.259)

Delegates debated the Virginia and New Jersey plans. Identify and fill in the parts of the two plans that are different. (p.260)

Read the words of the Preamble. Summarize in your own words. Explain why you think it is important.( P. 262)

Fill in the chart by describing the missing checks and balances between the branches of government. (p.263)

Identify one more power of government in each part of the diagram.(p.264)

This picture shows a federal worker at the U. S. Bureau of Printing and Engraving. Identify the power of government that is shown here. (p.265)

Analyze the main differences between the Articles of confederation and the United States Constitution. Include in your answer how powers are shared and branches are divided
under each plan for government. (p.265)

The museum has a newspaper article from Philadelphia dated May 1787, it tells about the arrival of delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Identify who is coming to
town, and describe them.

Identify Roger Sherman’s contribution to the creation of the Constitution.